How do Thrassian Stranglers work now?

RiskyChalice863 · December 2020

I don’t have Thrassian Stranglers and I’m wondering how they work now before I decide whether to grind for it. I understand you build stacks by killing stuff, and you get 23 weapon and spell damage per stack as well as -120 health.

But what I’m wondering is how building and maintaining the stacks work. A few questions:

1. The description indicates stacks last for 1 hour. Does each stack have its own individual 1 hour timeframe (meaning you’d have to kill 50 things in an hour to get 50 stacks), or does each stack reset the 1 hour timeframe? I assume it’s the latter, but am not certain. If it is the latter, if you had 50 stacks and hypothetically didn’t kill anything in an hour would you go down to 49 stacks (with another hour-long timeframe before you go down to 48) or would you lose all the stacks after that first hour? Again, I assume you wouldn’t lose all the stacks, but I want to be sure.

2. Do you lose the stacks when you change zones? As in, if I play a BG, will I keep stacks I had previously?

3. Do you lose stacks when you die? Again, I’m wanting to use it in BGs, so it’d basically wreck the concept if you lose stacks when you die.

RiskyChalice863 · December 2020

As background, the reason I want to try Thrassian Stranglers is to try it on my health-based Nord heavy attack Templar that runs Undaunted Infiltrator and Undaunted Unweaver.

That build is the best build I’ve ever played, at least for me. It is hard to burst down and does a ton of sustained damage. However, it has a glaring weakness—which is lack of any real healing, since the actual stats on the build are so low. I’ve tried to paper over that by using Spiked Bone Shield (which actually gives a pretty big shield on a health-based build) and using the Resto ult a ton. It has worked pretty well, but I’m interested in seeing if I can create a version that actually has good heals.

The only way to make the build have good healing, though, is basically to run a 50-stack Thrassian Stranglers. That can give me actually pretty respectable tooltips on Honor the Dead, Vigor, Rapid Regen, and Extended Ritual. Not massive, but pretty good considering the various Templar and resto staff passives. In order to run Thrassian, I have to not run a monster set, but that’s fine since I was running Maw of the Infernal and the large amount of extra spell damage roughly cancels out the extra damage from that set. I would then run 1pc Trainee to mitigate some of Thrassian’s hit to my health pool. I think the net result would basically be similar damage, roughly 50% better heals, but about 4500 lower health (which would still end up at about 26.5k in no-CP) and no Daedroth blocking peoples’ LOS. I’m not sure if that’s worth it, but I tend to think it probably is, or at least that it’s worth trying. But that all assumes Thrassian Stranglers stacks are actually easy to maintain. If they aren’t then there’s no point in me bothering to grind for the item.

Merforum · December 2020

RiskyChalice863 wrote: »

As background, the reason I want to try Thrassian Stranglers is to try it on my health-based Nord heavy attack Templar that runs Undaunted Infiltrator and Undaunted Unweaver.

That build is the best build I’ve ever played, at least for me. It is hard to burst down and does a ton of sustained damage. However, it has a glaring weakness—which is lack of any real healing, since the actual stats on the build are so low. I’ve tried to paper over that by using Spiked Bone Shield (which actually gives a pretty big shield on a health-based build) and using the Resto ult a ton. It has worked pretty well, but I’m interested in seeing if I can create a version that actually has good heals.

The only way to make the build have good healing, though, is basically to run a 50-stack Thrassian Stranglers. That can give me actually pretty respectable tooltips on Honor the Dead, Vigor, Rapid Regen, and Extended Ritual. Not massive, but pretty good considering the various Templar and resto staff passives. In order to run Thrassian, I have to not run a monster set, but that’s fine since I was running Maw of the Infernal and the large amount of extra spell damage roughly cancels out the extra damage from that set. I would then run 1pc Trainee to mitigate some of Thrassian’s hit to my health pool. I think the net result would basically be similar damage, roughly 50% better heals, but about 4500 lower health (which would still end up at about 26.5k in no-CP) and no Daedroth blocking peoples’ LOS. I’m not sure if that’s worth it, but I tend to think it probably is, or at least that it’s worth trying. But that all assumes Thrassian Stranglers stacks are actually easy to maintain. If they aren’t then there’s no point in me bothering to grind for the item.

Don't bother, especially if you are having a healing issue. Initially Thrassian was amazing giving like 3000 spell damage after 20 kills while having a small health regen/shield debuff, NOW it is pretty much useless about 850 max wpn/spl dmg after 50 kills with massive 6000 reduction in health and other debuffs. Also you lose all stacks very easily, like using a wayshrine, dying, entering a delve, just about anything. I think you only get stacks when YOU actually kill something not your group, so using it on a healer won't get very many stacks.

Unfortunately zos decided to nerf tf out of thrassian because too many people were abusing it in trials, instead of just limiting or not allowing it in trials. And consequently pretty much ruined it. If the stacks would stay longer, like being able to run around killing stuff in open world, then go in a dungeon with full stacks it might be worth it, but currently my experience is that as soon as you enter a dungeon or traveling anywhere and all stacks are reset.

RiskyChalice863 · December 2020

Merforum wrote: »

RiskyChalice863 wrote: »

As background, the reason I want to try Thrassian Stranglers is to try it on my health-based Nord heavy attack Templar that runs Undaunted Infiltrator and Undaunted Unweaver.

That build is the best build I’ve ever played, at least for me. It is hard to burst down and does a ton of sustained damage. However, it has a glaring weakness—which is lack of any real healing, since the actual stats on the build are so low. I’ve tried to paper over that by using Spiked Bone Shield (which actually gives a pretty big shield on a health-based build) and using the Resto ult a ton. It has worked pretty well, but I’m interested in seeing if I can create a version that actually has good heals.

The only way to make the build have good healing, though, is basically to run a 50-stack Thrassian Stranglers. That can give me actually pretty respectable tooltips on Honor the Dead, Vigor, Rapid Regen, and Extended Ritual. Not massive, but pretty good considering the various Templar and resto staff passives. In order to run Thrassian, I have to not run a monster set, but that’s fine since I was running Maw of the Infernal and the large amount of extra spell damage roughly cancels out the extra damage from that set. I would then run 1pc Trainee to mitigate some of Thrassian’s hit to my health pool. I think the net result would basically be similar damage, roughly 50% better heals, but about 4500 lower health (which would still end up at about 26.5k in no-CP) and no Daedroth blocking peoples’ LOS. I’m not sure if that’s worth it, but I tend to think it probably is, or at least that it’s worth trying. But that all assumes Thrassian Stranglers stacks are actually easy to maintain. If they aren’t then there’s no point in me bothering to grind for the item.

Don't bother, especially if you are having a healing issue. Initially Thrassian was amazing giving like 3000 spell damage after 20 kills while having a small health regen/shield debuff, NOW it is pretty much useless about 850 max wpn/spl dmg after 50 kills with massive 6000 reduction in health and other debuffs. Also you lose all stacks very easily, like using a wayshrine, dying, entering a delve, just about anything. I think you only get stacks when YOU actually kill something not your group, so using it on a healer won't get very many stacks.

Unfortunately zos decided to nerf tf out of thrassian because too many people were abusing it in trials, instead of just limiting or not allowing it in trials. And consequently pretty much ruined it. If the stacks would stay longer, like being able to run around killing stuff in open world, then go in a dungeon with full stacks it might be worth it, but currently my experience is that as soon as you enter a dungeon or traveling anywhere and all stacks are reset.

So if I go into a BG, the stacks will reset?

Wolf81 · December 2020

They work best sitting in your bank.

ccfeeling · December 2020

Greymoor selling is done .

Vevvev · December 2020

RiskyChalice863 wrote: »

So if I go into a BG, the stacks will reset?

Yes, and unless you're a champion smiting down everyone that opposes you odds are you won't get those stacks back over the course of the match.

Oreyn_Bearclaw · December 2020

Really wish they would revert these to how they originally released with the only change being to simply disable them in group play. You could even cut the spell damage buff in half via battle spirit. They were so much fun in VMA. RIP.

RiskyChalice863 · December 2020

Thanks for everyone’s responses! Sounds like these aren’t worth grinding for if I will lose the stacks when I go into a BG, since that’s the main thing I wanted them for.

I guess the best way to up my healing on my heavy attack build is to switch from Nord to High Elf, along with maybe switching out a stamina recovery glyph for a spell damage one (since the High Elf will give me more stamina sustain anyways). I’ll lose some health and a good chunk of resistances. But I could still get over 30k health in no-CP, and I spend so much time heavy attacking or in mist form that the High Elf’s damage reduction passive would go a long way to mitigating the loss of the Nord’s damage resistance. In exchange, I’ll get significantly better healing, as well as a little bit more damage. It seems worth trying, but it remains to be seen if it’s worth it. I’d tried a High Elf Magicka version of the build already, and I like the Nord health-based version better, but I’ve never tried a High Elf Health-based version. That might be the sweet spot between not being able to be burst down and having enough healing to deal with sustained damage. With the Nord, I basically have to just use Resto ult as much as possible to stay alive (and, to be fair, a Nord does get ult quicker, so that helps with that).

Waffennacht · December 2020

I dont know why they even made such a mechanic.

I read it and go "ugh"

Oreyn_Bearclaw · December 2020

RiskyChalice863 wrote: »

Thanks for everyone’s responses! Sounds like these aren’t worth grinding for if I will lose the stacks when I go into a BG, since that’s the main thing I wanted them for.

I guess the best way to up my healing on my heavy attack build is to switch from Nord to High Elf, along with maybe switching out a stamina recovery glyph for a spell damage one (since the High Elf will give me more stamina sustain anyways). I’ll lose some health and a good chunk of resistances. But I could still get over 30k health in no-CP, and I spend so much time heavy attacking or in mist form that the High Elf’s damage reduction passive would go a long way to mitigating the loss of the Nord’s damage resistance. In exchange, I’ll get significantly better healing, as well as a little bit more damage. It seems worth trying, but it remains to be seen if it’s worth it. I’d tried a High Elf Magicka version of the build already, and I like the Nord health-based version better, but I’ve never tried a High Elf Health-based version. That might be the sweet spot between not being able to be burst down and having enough healing to deal with sustained damage. With the Nord, I basically have to just use Resto ult as much as possible to stay alive (and, to be fair, a Nord does get ult quicker, so that helps with that).

Oh man, more power to you if you already have them and are trying to think outside the box. If you aren't a completionist, there is absolutely no reason to grind for them. And FYI, that fishing grind was awful. Guessing it's better these days, but those gloves are trash in their current state and simply not worth the hassle to get them.